What Time and Day Are Best for Social Posts?

One in five Americans say a brand presence on social will likely influence their holiday buys

With all the different types of social platforms out there, it can be challenging for brand marketers to decide when is the optimal time and day to post. According to H1 2016 research, on Facebook and Twitter, the best-performing posts were made in the evenings, and later in the work week.

Between January and July 2016, TrackMaven tracked 17.5 million social media posts from 17,737 brands worldwide across various industries to determine when was the best time and day to post.

Social posts at the close of a work day (in Eastern Time) at the tail of the week performed the best on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, according to the data. Pinterest took this trend a bit further with posts tending to get the best traction on Fridays at 1am. Meanwhile, LinkedIn posts, which largely cater to the business crowd, had the advantage when made midweek at 9am.

The study also zeroed in on particular industries. Retail brands had success when posting at 11am on Friday on Twitter, and at 1am on Monday on Facebook. Meanwhile, for consumer goods marketers, posting at 11am on Wednesday on Twitter and at 11am Sunday on Facebook was optimal.